Folding top for vehicles



April 22 19 24.

' 1,491,142 A. KELLER FOLDING TOP FOR VEHICLES mmmcz. 22. 1921 Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,491,142 PATENT omc AUGUST KELLER, on NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIoNoR To GoLDE-PATENT MANUFACTUR- ING 00., Inc, on NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

FOLDING TOPIOR VEHICLES.

Application filed October 22, 1921. Serial No. 509,560.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST KELLER, a

citizen of Germany, and a resident of New York city, Bronx County, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Folding Tops for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to folding tops for vehicles, particularly motor vehicles, such as automobiles, and aims to provide tops of the character described which shall be neat and compact when in folded position, which are simple and economical in construction and convenient to move from folded into extended position and vice versa, and which are neat and rigid when in extended position.

In the accompanying specification and drawings, I have described and shown an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of the top in extended position;

Figure. 2 is a side elevation of the top in folded position; and

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one form of locking means that ma 1 be employed in connection with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the remaining figures of the drawings.

\eferring to said illustrative embodiment, 10 indicates the body of the vehicle, such as the automobile body, towhich the folding top, generally indicated by reference character T, is attached. The folding top T, which is of the type generally referred to in the trade as the one-man type of top, comprises a main bow 12 pivoted at the body 10, as at 11. In the embodiment shown, it will be noted that the main bow 12 is rearwardly inclined and that other bows, here shown to be three in number, are so disposed as to allow the passengers in the car a clear and unobstructed vision out of the same.

r This arrangement also permits easier and more unobstructed entrance into and egress out of the car as there are no forwardly inclined or even vertical bows to obstruct free entrance or egress.

13 indicates the front or outrigger how, the forward end of which, in the extended position of the top, rests on or may be fastened to the top or stanchions of the windshield 14. The front or outer portion of the bow 13, as of the other bows 12, 16, and

20, is attached to the top cover material 15 which at. its rear end is fastened to the body 10.

Pivoted to the main how 12, as at 17, is

a main strut 18 whose rear end, towards the pivot, 17 is downwardly curved as indicated at 18. At its forward end the strut 18 is pivoted, as at 19, to the intermediate or auxiliary bow 20. Pivoted to the bow 20, as at 21, is a rear strut 23 pivoted to the floating bow 16, as at 22. Pivoted to the bow 20, as at the extension 24 on the same, is an intermediate strut 25 which at its forward end is pivoted to the rear, slightly upturned end 26 of the front bow 13. Pivoted to the bow 20, as at extension 27 on the same, is a front strut 28 whose forward end is pivoted to the front bow 13 at a point 29 somewhat in advance of the pivot 26.

At 30 there is pivoted to the main how 12 a guide link 31, which at its upper end is slightly rearw'ardly curved, as indicated at 31', and is pivoted, as at 32, to bow 16 which is itself pivoted at the intermediate point 33 to the strut 18. The rear end of bow 16 is upwardly turned to form a hook 34 and cooperates with a pin or other suitable stop 35 on the strut 18 to lock the top when in open or extended position.

The operation of the top into folded and extended positions is substantially as follows :Assuming that the top is in the extended position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the locking device, comprising the guidelink ,31, pivots 32 and 33, the hook 34, and the pin 35, serves to keep the bow 16 and thus the whole rear portion of the top rigid and in its proper position, how 20 and struts 18, and 23 being similarly locked inposition and thus rigid. At the same time struts 25 and 28, due to the rear end 26 of the front bow 13 being above the'dead center line passing through pivots 24 and 29, lock the front bow in place and bring end 26 of said bow in firm contact with the forward strut 28.

In moving the top from open to closed or folded position, the operator grasps the for- Ward end of the front bow 13 and raises the same so as to bring the pivot or end 26 below the dead center line through pivots 24 and 29. This action now readily permits the front bow 13 to be folded by the substantially parallel downward pivotal movement of the struts 25 and 28 about the respective pivots 2 and 27. Not until the front bow 13 is practically entirely folded up against the intermediate bow 20 does the rear portion of the top commence to be folded up in its turn. It will, therefore, be apparent that the folding, as well as the unfolding, opera tion takes place in two stages and that the folding and unfolding operations are thus rendered easy and convenient since the top.

is balanced at two points rather than at a sinjgle point.

.n the continued operation of the top into closed position, the initial movement of the intermediate bow 20 into folded position causes floating bow 16, throughthe mediation of strut 23, to depress hook 34: below and away from pin 35, thus unlocking the rear part of the top and permitting the folding operation to be completed. In unfolding the top, the operations just described are re peated in the reverse order.

The advantages of the foregoing construction are numerous and are of great practical importance. vVhen extended, the top makes a very neat appearance and is rigid, being locked at two points thereof. During the folding or unfolding operation, the two-stage character of folding or unfolding operation, due to the top being balanced at two points, permits easier and more convenient manipulation of the top into folded or open position. At the same time, thearrangement is such that the front bow, during the folding or unfolding operation, as the case may be, will not extend below the'lower extremity of the main bow and will therefore not touch the body of the car and thus damage the finish of the same. In folded position, the top presents a very neat appearance and the rear end of the folded bows line up in such a way as to permit the use of a well shaped top or dust hood.

It is, of course, to be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment thereof herein shown and described for purposes of illustration only.

What I claim is: I

1. In a folding vehicle top, a main bow, a main strut pivoted thereto, a floating bow pivoted at a point not far from its lower end to said main strut, means associated with said main strut and cooperating with said lower end for locking said floating bow with respect to said main strut, an intermediate bow, a rear strut pivoted to the latter bow and to the floating bow, said intermediate bow and said main strut being pivoted to each other at their adjacent ends, a front bow, an auxiliary strut pivoted to said intermediate bow and front bow, a second auxiliary strut being pivoted to said intermediate bow andv to one end of the front bow, and a link pivoted adjacent the lower end of'the floating bow and to the main bow for locking the floating bow against folding movement.

2. In a folding vehicle top, a main bow, a main strut pivoted thereto, a floating bow pivoted to said main strut and formed with a rearwardly and upwardly curved end, a stop secured to said main strut so as to cooperate with the end of said curved portion of the floating bow, said stop being adapted to limit the opening movement of said floating bow, an intermediate how, a rear strut pivoted to the said intermediate bow and to said floating bow, said main strut being pivoted to said intermediate bow at their adjacentrends, a front bow, auxiliary struts between the front bow and the intermediate, bow, and a link pivoted at one end to, the main bow and at the other to the intermediate ortion of the curved end of the floating ow for locking said last-mentioned bow in fixed position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 8th day of October, 1921.

AUGUST KELLER. 

